Into the Wild (KingMaker AP)

Paza

Watched over by the rebuilt fort that once housed a bandit lord, nestled in between rolling hills and bound by the muddy but well stocked Tuskwater lake on the south and the fast-flowing Shrike River on the east, Pază is the bustling capital of the kingdom of Veteris and the center of civilization in the still mostly wild Greenbelt.

Most of Pază’s citizens make their living from one of two industries- fishing the Tuskwater and logging the nearby forest. Other smaller but still significant industries include the building trade and crafting the abundant natural resources around the city and supplied by the two active mines that supply raw gold, silver, and copper for crafting and export.

Pază is busiest in the logging camps and sawmills west of town, where the business of preparing lumber for export and wood for crafting happens. The city’s waterways also see heavy use. The Tuskwater is fronted by busy docks catering to the city’s growing fishing fleet and the Shrike docks receive regular precious minerals from the Sootscale kobolds’ mines.

There are a few small farms west and north of the city, but the majority of the city’s food comes from the lake and the clusters of farming communities along the North Road from Pază to Leveton.

The city’s castle is set on a hill to the northeast, the tallest in the area but with a gentle slope to the south and west and a steep drop-off against the Shrike River to the east. The castle directly overlooks the Shrike as it approaches the city and has a clear view of travelers on both the North Road and River Road. The castle is home to the city’s militia, several Council members, and the elite Council Guard.

The city’s center of government- home to Council functionaries and public Council meetings- sits at the foot of the winding road up Castle Hill, on the northern edge of Pază’s main market square. Council Square is the location of the city’s most respectable businesses and is only a short walk to the River Docks. Most of the city’s finished goods and imported items can be found here, from gold and silver jewelry and gems to fine furs and clothing. The city’s nicest inn and tavern, the Councilor’s Rest, is also found here. The North Road used to end at Council Square’s northwest corner but now caravans are encouraged to off-load at Hostler’s Square just to the north where their goods can be distributed to the rest of the city without clogging up Council Square.

The center of Pază’s lumber and wood crafting industry is to the west, past Magister’s Hill, at Wood Circle. Lumber Road winds around Magister’s Hill to join the North Road to export the hardwood harvested from the hills and forests to the west. There are many furniture makers and carpenters based at Wood Circle, as well, and while it is no rival to New Stetven, Pază’s wood trade is growing and is developing a reputation for putting out good quality paper. Wood Circle is a somewhat rougher crowd than one will find at Council Square, with several taverns catering to the lumberjacks and carpenters who dominate trade there.

West of Castle Hill is the smaller Magister’s Hill. Crowned by the shopfront of the Council’s own alchemist and the short tower of the kingdom’s Magister, Magister Hill is the center of Pază’s small but growing arcane and scholastic trade. The businesses here are focused on the arcane- a glassblower, book binder, exotic herbalist, and small library ring the alchemist’s shop and Magister’s tower on top of the hill and there is still room to grow along the hill’s gentle slopes.

Southeast of Castle Hill, where the Shrike meets the Tuskwater, is Watch Hill. The city’s small fleet of boats, used to escort mine shipments down the Shrike, is based here, as is the wide-ranging band known as Happs’ Rangers. There are plans to eventually move the city militia to Watch Hill once there is time and money to build another castle, but for now there are only a few buildings supporting the escort fleet and the Rangers. Watch Hill is the southern end of River Road, the road that splits to follow the rivers from Paza up the Thorn all the way to the old Margreve and up the Shrike as far as Sootscale.